Watch Us Judge Hot Wheels Legends Tour Semifinalists—and See the Final Live

• The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is a contest to choose a custom build and turn it into a 1:64-scale toy car.

• Entrants come from around the world, and only 10 will advance to the final round.

• Car and Driver senior editor Elana Scherr and Road & Track's John Pearley Huffman represented Hearst Autos in the semifinals judging.

UPDATE 11/11/22: After much and painful deliberation (really, everything was so good!) we narrowed it down to the 10 who will go on to the finals at Jay Leno's Garage.

1. 2015 Proton Suprima S – Nilai Seremban, Malaysia

2. 1978 Porsche 928 – Dallas, Texas, USA

3. Raptor Buggy – Mt Maunganui, New Zealand

4. 1992 Autozam Scrum – Beaumont, Texas, USA

5. 1963 Ford Anglia 105e – Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

6. “Phoenix” (1971 Plymouth Duster sport coupe “twister” merged with 2009 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee) – Mexico City, Mexico

7. 1968 VW Beetle – Atlanta, Georgia, USA

8. 1931 Dodge Rat Rod – Detroit, Michigan, USA

9. 1962 Beetle – Bandung, Indonesia

10. 2003 Toyota Hilux – Shimotsuma, Japan

You may not be a collector, all grown up as you are and needing your shelf space for pretentious bourbon, but we'd be surprised if you can see a Hot Wheels car and not give it a quick little spin around the table. Mattel's glossy mini-machines have appeal across age groups, and worldwide, which is why the Hot Wheels Legends Tour—a chance for builders of full-size cars to see their work memorialized in die-cast form—attracts entries from all over the globe.

Winnowing the hopefuls down to one takes a full year, with regional events leading up to a 24-car semifinal, and, eventually, a 10-best shootout. We were invited this year, along with beloved Window Shop participant and Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman, to judge the difficult semifinals.

The semifinalists ranged from a pink mini-truck to an almost spherical Volkswagen Bug bus. We liked the Snork-nosed blown Porsche 928, while other judges marveled at a high-riding Autozam and a Ford Anglia with a stock back window design so wildly styled that it seemed more custom than the customs. Here’s the full list we had to choose from.